Representation

As a national advocate for Indigenous Allied Health professionals, IAHA is a member of the following committees, groups and alliances:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Working Group, a Federal Government working group that is charged with the planning, implementation, coordination and monitoring of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce National Strategic Framework;Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee, an Indigenous led Australian Human Rights Commission initiative that works with Australian governments to

  • secure the development of a comprehensive, long-term plan of action to achieve equality of health status and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non- Indigenous Australians by 2030 and ensure the full participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their representative bodies in all aspects of addressing their health needs;

National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples which is a national voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Congress is owned and controlled by its membership and is independent of Government; IAHA is a member of Chamber Two.

National Health Leadership Forum which is part of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples and is the national body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies whose core business is the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan (NATSIHP) Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG), a group that brings together government and organisations with expertise in Indigenous health and broader health issues to guide development of the NATSIHP;

Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia (CRANA) Plus – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Advisory Committee which focusses on education, support and advocacy for remote health practitioners in the development and delivery of safe, high quality primary healthcare to remote and isolated communities;

Health Workforce Australia (HWA), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Advisory Committee provides high level advice and input to HWA’s work program and is specifically focussed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health workforce impacts;

HWA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker Project which is focussing on identifying how the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker workforce can be strengthened and supported;

HWA Rural and Remote Health Workforce Innovation and Reform Strategy which is currently developing national guidance on future needs, reforms and initiatives to improve health care services in rural and remote communities;

HWA Standing Advisory Committee for Health Professions provides high level advice and input on a national level to HWA’s work programs and acts as a cohesive sounding board for testing and responding to those programs and initiatives;

KidsMatter Primary, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group. This is an Australian primary schools mental health initiative to improve the mental health and wellbeing of primary school students, reduce mental health problems amongst students and achieve greater support for students experiencing mental health problems;

National Primary Health Care Partnership (NPHCP) aims to provide an advocacy body and communications platform for the Australian Primary Health Care sector. Twenty three (23) national peak health organisations representing over 100,000 frontline health professionals working in the primary health care sector have come together to form this partnership;

Nursing and Allied Health Rural Locum Scheme Steering Committee has been established to enable rural nurses, midwives and eligible allied health professionals, including dental health professionals, to take short-term leave from their positions in rural Australia in order to access Continuing Professional Development (CPD);

Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship Selection Committee, Royal College of Nursing Australia. This scholarship provides financial assistance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are intending to undertake study, or are undertaking study, in an entry level qualification in an eligible health related discipline at an Australian university or TAFE (Certificate IV and above).